Mean-spirited, dim-witted
Trolls are nasty creatures. The misshapen, ill-mannered, ill-tempered, kidnapping monsters hide from light and morality and eat their kinfolk and farm animals. From their Norse beginnings to their modern internet incarnation, trolls are objectionable on all levels. (Buckle up, Betsy. I think this may be a rough ride.)
History
Trolls popped out of the ground into existence in Norse mythology as a negative kind of giant. When they crossed to the other side of the Scandinavian peninsula, they severed from the giants to be the trolls of legend.
Two heads does not equal more brains.
Living in rock formations, mountains (Who is going to be the first person to say hillbilly?) and caves (Neanderthal, anyone?), these often ugly, brutish, dimwitted, anti-social, mean-spirited creatures liked the distance between themselves and humans. They did not mind getting close for a lamb dinner, though.
Artistic License
Unnatural Liaisons?
Some authors have painted trolls with much more human visages, speech and characteristics, but none could completely shed their strange familial habits of pairing off in father-daughter or mother-son units. (Please save your incest japes for my hatemail box…not the comments.)
Regardless of nuance variances, trolls are loathsome monsters, no matter which author, filmmaker or video game designer conjured them. They are bent on mischief, mayhem and wickedness.
Dawn
Sunlight is said to turn a troll to stone. Varying tribes of trolls are more resistant to daylight than others. Then, we turn to the dawn of a new age.
Internet Trolls
Loathsome Little Creature
Today’s troll may be more linguistically advanced, but is just as vile. Hiding behind a screen name, avatar and computer screen, the troll is just as mean and hateful as the rock-hiding species of old.
Rather than offering anything of value, the troll vomits off-topic, hurtful and spammy comments every place where positive, neutral or constructively critical feedback is warranted, acceptable or desired.
Good luck with that. The troll only makes its intentional comments to elicit an emotional response. This small-minded vermin is as happy with negative attention as any other form.
Kidnapping Terrorists
Likened to terrorists, trolls sabotage and create mischief wherever they turn up in the virtual world. Even if the troll has a venue of its own, like a blog, it is far happier voting down other’s material instead of creating valuable material of its own.
Thieves in the Night
Just like its mythological ancestors, internet trolls are kidnappers. Since finding an edible (physical) plump goat or elementary-school aged child is impossible on the web, trolls are content to kidnap your audience.
By dropping controversial and/or offensive remarks, trolls force you (or your audience) to defend your space’s honor. Alternatively, with sufficient negativity, trolls can alienate your audience altogether.
Super Genius or Ultra Maroon
The troll is convinced it has superior (intellect, morals, ideals) and will employ whatever means at its disposal to reveal your perceived shortcomings. While it will stoop to abysmal depths to wreak its havoc, knowing how it thinks (Yes, it has a method.) is an effective means of seeing its actions for what they are: Sabotage.
It will remember what you say in an effort to use the statements out of context to destroy your authority for your given subject. It will employ tangential references to establish its own authority. Even in its typo-laden, out-of-context, misquoted way, a small amount of credence is developed. This is how the troll lures its prey: Appealing to the primal and baser instincts of your audience.
It uses quotes well. Wrong, but well.
Cowards
Trolls are Cowards
For all its brutish strength, trolls are afraid to come out and engage. Often blamed on fear of daylight, the cowardice is actually a diversionary tactic. Trolls wait until you are nowhere near your space in hopes your unguarded audience will venture out for it to pounce upon them. Whether to convince them you have no authority or merely to eat your reputation (tastes like sheep), trolls will not be brave and face you, in the privacy of your message box or when you are present to comment or remove its comments.
Starve the Muggers
Do Not Feed The Trolls
The only effective means of dealing with trolls is to ignore them. When its hunting ground is devoid of well-meaning, tenderhearted, knowledgeable, argumentative prey, it will skulk back to its lair (crawl back under its rock).
~~~~~~~~~~
When was the last time you saw a troll? How did you defeat it? Has it moved to a different hunting ground? Have you ever been kidnapped or brutalized by a troll? What is effective defense against trolls?
valentinelogar
/ January 24, 2012How do I insert something of import here when you have simply said it all? Gad how I adore you….I am posting this to two sites I frequent, besides my own that is.
Red
/ January 24, 2012I am so glad you like it. It was truly cathartic for me to write, my darling sister. I shall speak to you soon. Red.
valentinelogar
/ January 24, 2012Because you didn’t quite say it all…..
Red
/ January 24, 2012What a perfect addition! I love this 🙂 You so rule, my sister!
raymond alexander kukkee
/ January 24, 2012Modern trolls are limited by their inherent failure to remember they have to live under rocks and rotten bridges, watching the world go by. They fail to understand their negative attitude to everything is –in light– totally irrelevant.
Valentine is right, you have said it all.
Red
/ January 24, 2012*curtsies sweetly* I love Q-beams 🙂
Sophie Tesch
/ January 24, 2012Well put. There is at least one Troll on just about every comment section, public comments in particular. I mostly deal with them by laughing at them when they are ridiculous or pulling what I call the “pit-bull” chomping them up with facts about the situation. Most go down when asking them to “site your source”. But for the truly Trollish of the Trolls I have found that you can block or hide them, silence is golden. Like the old Kenny Rogers song the Gambler says “You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away and know when to run!” 😮 Great Post!
Red
/ January 24, 2012Glad you liked it. I am seriously looking into stronger blocking software so I can send the trolls back under the rock permanently. 😉 Great to see you today, Soph!
christyb
/ January 24, 2012Hehe I was surprised as I started to read this topic.. and intrigued as well by the notion of trolls. Especially the internet-related trolls who hide behind their gravitars and spew negative words. Let’s use our magic wands and wish them away! (wait we do own our own blogs and we can can delete comments at any time – hmmm okay I solved my own issue)
Red
/ January 24, 2012Yes, and we often do. Unlike the spambots who get hung up in the filter, trolls are a more insidious breed. Still looking for the cure for the one-star wonder. 😉
prenin
/ January 24, 2012Small things amuse small, pitifully inept, minds.
Unfortunately they haven’t stayed in their cots and played with their toes – they come out in a desperate effort to make themselves look good/feel good for five minutes when in fact they are a sad joke.
I had problems with Trolls when I was on WLS and went private so they couldn’t get access – turned out they were American Prisoners with computer access…
One of the worst was a guy who called himself Quaylood who used a dozen identities to attack users and drive them off WLS while claiming to ‘help’ the victims of his persecution.
Last heard he was begging for help because his landlord was chucking him out, claiming to be disabled with a helper dog…
Love and hugs!
Prenin.
Red
/ January 24, 2012Oh. My. I do not claim to understand what it is which drives small-minded people to thrash the good works/words of others. One would think it far simpler to navigate (by single mouse click) to another site than leave their
indelibledeletable (500 word) remarks. As Forest Gump’s mother says, “Stupid is as stupid does.”worrywarts-guide-to-weight-sex-and-marriage
/ January 24, 2012This is the second post I have read on trolls today, and I posted about blogging critters two days ago.
Great post. I bet you get a lot of traffic on this one.
Red
/ January 24, 2012Apparently there has been a baby boom amongst the trolls. Maybe I should open a pitchfork concession. 😉
Derek Mansker
/ January 24, 2012I don’t waste my time with them and the lure to get off topic. I know they like negative attention, so I just give them no attention. You want to comment on my blog, then keep it on topic and at a respectful level. If they want to troll I just send them to your blog. – (just kidding) 🙂
Red
/ January 24, 2012They would be in good copy, Derek! What typo? *Grins* Red.
Derek Mansker
/ January 24, 2012How magical.
lorrelee1970
/ January 24, 2012Wonderful take on the trolls. I am fortunate. The one troll commenter I had ended up in my spam folder along with the “spambots”. He/She told me my posting was a bunch of crap. I debated for a bit, but decided to put the comment on and respond to it with my sarcastic words. I couldn’t resist, the post included Justin Beiber and the person’s email was justinb. I can only assume it was a crazed fan and I was immature and had to take a dig. They never came back.
Red
/ January 24, 2012I do so love a public spanking. 😉
Marc Phillippe Babineau
/ January 24, 2012I saw a troll just yesterday! No, wait, that was that mean little lady at the grocery store. They do look a lot like Gnomes, though, don’t they?
Red
/ January 24, 2012Yes, but some of them can get very large.
Doreen Martel
/ January 24, 2012Internet Trolls be gone 😉 Trolls are everywhere — my kids were told at a young age that we had “monster insurance” to keep the trolls out of dark corners and out from under beds while they slept 🙂
Red
/ January 24, 2012I have monster spray. It is in a pump bottle with a large label with the NO symbol over Monsters. I simply spray it at bedtime under beds and in closets. It smells eerily like Febreeze. 😉